Multilateral Bank African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has commissioned its first Afreximbank African Trade Centre (AATC) in Abuja, Nigeria, as it sets its ambitions on similar projects across and outside the continent.
- •The Abuja AATC comprises two interconnected nine-storey towers that cost US$120 million and whose construction begun in November 2021.
- •One tower features world-class commercial A-grade office spaces, a trade and exhibition centre, a conference centre, a technology and SME incubator, a Digital Trade Gateway and a trade information services hub.
- •The AATC in Abuja is the first of seven planned similar projects across the continent in the capital cities of Uganda, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Cameroon, Tunisia, and Rwanda.
“The Abuja AATC is the first of several AATCs being developed across Africa and the Caribbean. Some would be Afreximbank-owned while others would be supported through a franchise-scheme. With these, we expect to create a sizeable network of AATCs that will act as the lighthouses to guide the interconnections and flow of trade and investments within continental Africa and between Africa and Caribbean regions,” Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank said during the launch ceremony.
- •The project’s second tower includes a 148-room business hotel, seminar and meeting rooms, a wellness centre, a restaurant and other ancillary facilities.
In addition to the projects on the continent, Afreximbank also recently broke ground on a similar AATC in Bridgetown, Barbados.
In addition to government officials, the event was attended by prominent pan-African CEOs including Aliko Dangote, Founder and CEO of the Dangote Group, and Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Transcorp Group.
